Thanksgiving for the LORD’S Saving Goodness Psalm 118

1 Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.
2 Oh let Israel say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
3 Oh let the house of Aaron say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
4 Oh let those who fear the LORD say,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
5 From my distress I called upon the LORD;
The LORD answered me and set me in a large place.
6 The LORD is for me; I will not fear;
What can man do to me?
7 The LORD is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
Than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the LORD
Than to trust in princes.
10 All nations surrounded me;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
11 They surrounded me, yes, they surrounded me;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
12 They surrounded me like bees;
They were extinguished as a fire of thorns;
In the name of the LORD I will surely cut them off.
13 You pushed me violently so that I was falling,
But the LORD helped me.
14 The LORD is my strength and song,
And He has become my salvation.
15 The sound of joyful shouting and salvation is in the tents of the righteous;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
16 The right hand of the LORD is exalted;
The right hand of the LORD does valiantly.
17 I will not die, but live,
And tell of the works of the LORD.
18 The LORD has disciplined me severely,
But He has not given me over to death.
19 Open to me the gates of righteousness;
I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the LORD.
20 This is the gate of the LORD;
The righteous will enter through it.
21 I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,
And You have become my salvation.
22 The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
23 This is the LORD’S doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
24 This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Being vs. Doing and a little bit of Thanks

I started writing a message to follow up on my 24 hours of no internet, email, phone, TV, Ipod, ect ... but then I erased it because there is really no need to bore everyone with how truly Type A I am. Many know this fact ... I don't have to prove myself there. Sure it was great and it sucked at the same time. The best part was definitely hearing God speak. I won't bother to describe the negative ... because the positive outweighs it.

Besides being told to stay put and in the present for the next year to come, a few other lessons were brought to my attention yesterday:
Let's take a moment to think about our world, today. Don't worry, I'm not getting into politics. You don't want me to go there. Just take a moment to think about how easy our life really is. Okay, maybe I lost you for a second. Here is a laundry list of all the things I noticed we have at the tips of our fingers, making life way too easy. No wonder we are all forced to be quick, always doing something, and never fully knowing what life could or used to be. I'm not complaining, but I am thankful.

1. No need to get cash out at the bank ... just do it at the grocery store.
2. I placed a stamp on a thank you card, expecting some guy to drive it to the next city by tomorrow.
3. Didn't have internet today to research, why didn't I want to drive to the library.
4. I drove.
5. I didn't do any story writing, because then I would have had to transfer it into my computer, which remember I wasn't using today. Why not just do it tomorrow when I have a computer?
6. Big one for me ... I only read the paper online ... well yesterday my roommate informed me that one of her teachers who still reads the actually paper saw that Iggy made Barnes and Noble's Best Sellers list. Of course it happened on this particular day.
7. Should I wash my own car, or have a machine do it?
8. Delicates vs. washing by hand.
9. Online dictionary vs. flipping through the dictionary.
10. Expecting way too much, when we really only need so little.

Let's remember that Thanksgiving is not about time off of work, food, and over indulging. Don't we do that everyday? It's about being thankful that we are actually able to celebrate history, we still have our family and friends, and we were born in a free country. Thank God for what He has given us. I often expect way too much, when really I only need so little.

Are you ready for the Holidays?

As the Holiday Season quickly approaches, I look back and think ... where did October and November go? In between traveling, blackberrying, and broadbanding, I totally flew through my favorite fall season. Then it hit me. I have completely fallen a victim to the obsession of computing, connecting, and relying on gadgets to get me through the day. Well, this is very normal in this day and age, but I need a cleanse, a spiritual fast to say the least. In efforts to prepare for a VERY busy December and Holiday Season, I will be taking a time out on Monday. Yes, Monday, November 24th, there will be no phone, no internet, no email, no updated websites, online marketing, nothing. I am not checking my phone or email for the whole day. What will I do with all that time, well read and center myself, of course. The holidays can become so stressful until we forget the purpose, so I want to at least lay down a center or foundation to ground myself. I look forward to writing about this experience and what new found epiphanies the Word has to offer to me. Sometimes the racket in our brains can become so loud, that we can't hear what God is trying to say. I have asked Him so many questions in the past few weeks, but I have not been quiet enough to listen to His answers. Sometimes sitting still and just being is the most challenging part of the day. But should it be?

Milestone

Today I am so thankful to have reached a milestone in my career as an author. I had my first Barnes and Noble book signing today in Austin! Thanks to everyone who came out to support. The past few months have been a little tiring, but I thank God for the energy and excitement I have been thriving on. He continues to guide this journey. The coolest part about all of this, is looking back at all the odd hobbies and weird imaginative things I did as a kid and young adult ... everything is starting to make sense. I am using parts of my past that I never thought mattered at the time ... it was just what I did ... and now I pull from these things on a daily basis as a speaker and presenter. I am a believer in God's plan ... I have always been a planner, but I have to say it again ... even though He doesn't have to ... God proves himself to me everyday.

Stuff

Iggy Merchandise now available to order online! www.IggytheIguana.com

A Blog for the Kids

I wanted to share a new blog I created for the elementary ages kids. It will be accessible on the Iggy the Iguana website soon.
http://web.mac.com/melissamwilliams